Sony mulled an all-touch PS4 controller before settling on the DualShock 4

The PlayStation 4's DualShock 4 controller may seem like the logical evolution of Sony's gamepad design, but we now know that it wasn't always destined to be that way. Product manager Toshimasa Aoki tellsVentureBeat that the company threw out all the rules during the early design phase, and had tested both all-touchscreen gamepads as well as one where a touchpad could move to different locations. The PlayStation team had also considered abandoning its signature bottom-mounted analog sticks in favor of moving them up top, much like Nintendo's Wii U Pro Controller. However, feedback pushed Sony to a more conservative layout -- many early PS4 game developers were worried that a new control scheme would break their software design. While it's unfortunate that Sony had to restrain its creative impulses, we suspect that many gamers are happy with the end result.